The U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan has shown some progress but the "challenge remains to make our gains durable and sustainable," the White House said in a new report Thursday.

The United States was also still on course to bring some troops home from Afghanistan as soon as July 2011 and continue to move toward the goal of having Afghans take the lead in security in the country in 2014, the report said.

The report, which is called the "Overview of the Afghanistan and Pakistan Annual Review," is part of President Barack Obama's assessment of the war in the region.

Shortly after beginning his presidency, Obama instituted the annual review process of the war in Afghanistan.

The report did mention gains the United States says it has made in its battle against al Qaeda.

Al Qaeda's "senior leadership has been depleted, the group's safe haven is smaller and less secure, and its ability to prepare and conduct terrorist operations has been degraded in important ways," the report said.

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BANGASH

No other option, a choice between hell and the heaven. Remember leaving Afghanistan the way it was left after the fall of USSR, may prove more dangerous for world peace therefore under UN charter, through popular consensus and active participation of well acceptable and neutral states, free and fair election of popular Afghan leadership may avert this eminent threat to world peace as Afghans being a nation is fed up of these three decades long bloodshed of their near and dear one. I guarantee you that same Taliban will be in the vanguard of bringing the peace once they are sure that their homeland is no more under foreign occupation and they are free to work for peace and prosperity of Afghanistan. So far Osama is concerned he is already American guy and he too will return to USA and enjoy his partnership with Bush and Chenny in their kingdom built on OIL.

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